As the new Trump administration flexes its diplomatic muscle in Europe and the Middle East, Jerusalem must stand with its ally rather than with Ukraine and its American supporters
It was a confrontation Israel would have rather avoided But when push came to shove at the United Nations General Assembly UNGA this week, the Jewish state knew what it had to do
Faced with a choice between taking sides with Ukraine, the European Union and most of the international community or standing with the Trump administration, Jerusalem didn’t hesitate to back Washington
For doing so, it’s not only getting bashed by some familiar critics but former friends as well
The dilemma was caused by an European Union resolution reaffirming the world body’s condemnation of Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine’s borders on the third anniversary of the war that started on February 24, 2022
The measure also demanded that Moscow withdraw “immediately” from territory it seized from the former Soviet republic in 2014
The United States, which has begun an effort to negotiate an end to the brutal conflict that has already taken one million lives on both sides, opposed the resolution
UN meaningless gestures of virtue-signaling
Rather than being (like most of what happens at the United Nations) a meaningless gesture of virtue-signaling, the Trump administration correctly viewed the resolution as an effort to derail its diplomatic initiative
It preferred a simple call for an end to the war—rejected by Ukraine and its supporters—while not outrightly blaming Russia
So, what could Israel do when the General Assembly voted? 1. It supported the US position on both resolutions 2. It voted against the EU proposal in one instance 3. and again following Washington’s lead, abstained on the other
European amendments had transformed the American resolution’s meaning, to undermine President Donald Trump’s policy on the war
